Break It Down and Make It Plain

For over 28 years I had the privilege of a wonderfully fulfilling twofold ministry. Concurrent to serving as a pastor, I also was significantly involved in prison ministry in two county prisons in Pennsylvania and as Protestant Contract Chaplain at the State Correctional Institution in Muncy, Pennsylvania. Without question, I received far more than I gave as I ministered to those who were incarcerated. I discovered many men and women who did not have extensive church backgrounds, and who were at a low point in their lives. They were open to the things of God, but needed to have spiritual concepts presented in simple and easy-to-understand terms. Faced with this unique challenge, I grew to depend upon God’s grace and the Helper, the Holy Spirit, to enable me to get the point across. In ministry, one quickly learns that “My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth..” (Psalm 121:2) In response to my need, God gave me some terse words and phrases to drive home basic truths about the Christian faith, and in language that anyone could understand and relate to. These sayings form the chapter titles of this book. My prison congregation was very responsive. They would “talk back” to the preacher. When I would make a point, they would respond with “Amen!“ “Preach it!” “Make it plain!” Such spontaneous feedback served to energize me, to pump me up and make me preach much better. A compliment I received from the women in the prison frames the title of this book. When God’s Spirit was moving and breaking through to the women during our services, some would say, “Chaplain Johnsen, you break it down and make it plain. You were preaching right at me. How did you know?” My comeback was straightforward: “God is good all the time. “ I always pray before I teach and preach, asking the Lord to allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth of God’s Word and impact those present. God always answers that prayer, and His Word transforms the hearers of the Word. Jesus instructs us to “ask and you will receive.” I apply this principle to the ministry of the Word as I seek to get God’s points across, and, thus the Lord provided the communicative phrases which form the chapter headings. I will share parts of my story as a prison chaplain, as well as from my years in pastoral ministry. My work has been and continues to be exciting and difficult, and God is gracious and has used me to touch the lives of many women and men. I am convinced that God is in the life-changing business, and He does a wonderful job. For those who know and love the Lord, these chapters should provide a fresh expression of Christian theology. And for those who do not yet have a relationship with God, my hope and prayer is that this effort will provide a clear understanding of what this relationship is all about and how to know God personally and intimately.